Cheerleading falls victim to many common misconceptions. Some people deny it is a sport. Some think that cheerleading is about the football team and nothing else. But for Daniel Friday, Auburn's Mic Man on the 2009-2010 cheerleading team, the instilling of school spirit in the heart of every Auburn student includes more than just screaming a few cheers.
Friday, a junior mass communications major, said that football games only scratch the surface of what his and his teammates' jobs entail.
"This summer the main thing we've been doing is all the freshman orientations with Camp War Eagle," Friday said. "We also do these alumni club meetings all over the South."
Friday said they compete just as much as the other athletes do. Even making the team every year can be a competition.
"I think my chances are pretty good," Friday said of next year's tryouts. " I don't want to count my eggs before they hatch, but I think the experience after two years doing it can really help."
Latisha Durroh, spirit adviser for the athletic department, said this year's squad consists of 10 women and 11 men, including Friday.
The rest of the team includes Will Noel, Taylor Sims, Teddy Burns, Jim Trucks, Max Allen, Morgan Bandy, Drew Petrey, Peter Velotas, David Bush, Sarah Beth Dean, Megan Dixon, Mallory Sigle, Faith Palmer, Kali Tucker, Will Bryan, Benton Sprayberry, Jenny Groux, Sequoyah Patrick, Laura Ferguson and Head Cheerleader Brooke Erickson. Also, one can't forget to include Aubie, arguably Auburn's most recognizable cheerleader.
Tryouts for the team are held in the spring. Any person who makes the team essentially solidifies their spot on the team for another year. It is a rare occurrence to not have someone make it back, said Friday.
Anyone who has ever been to an Auburn home football game has heard the Mic Man chanting the University's beloved cheers.
What these fans might not realize is that probably the most important aspect of the cheerleader's job is crowd control. They are responsible for getting fans out of their seats, and for shutting them up if the situation calls for it.
"I do have that, I guess power, whatever you want to call it, to get the crowd up at the right times," Friday said. "I'm also supposed to try to keep them from booing. That doesn't always work out so well."
Friday also said that it's important not only that he and his teammates are into the game and leading the cheers, but that the crowd participates also. It could be crucial in the outcome of a game or match.
Friday said both this year's football and basketball games against LSU, where he did a "spell out," were his favorite moments as a cheerleader.
"It really got the crowd fired up," Friday said. "I've never had a response like that to a cheer before."
Friday enjoys some of the other Auburn cheers as well.
"I think 'Track em' is a good one, 'Bodda Getta' too." Friday said. "Those two are crowd favorites."
David Dostie, a junior in the Civil Engineering program, remembers sitting in the front row of Jordan-Hare Stadium mere feet from the Mic Man during last year's football season.
"They put the cheerleaders right in front of the student section for a reason," Dostie said. "They have the potential to be the loudest section of the stadium. Fan support can really swing the momentum of a game."
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